MIAMI, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a
$200 million dry dock that is already
generating raves from guests sailing on its first cruises out of
Norfolk, the transformed Carnival
Sunrise was officially named today by godmother Kelly Arison – daughter of Carnival Corporation
& plc Chairman Micky Arison and
his wife Madeleine – in an elegant and memorable ceremony at the
Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New
York City.
As a Carnival godmother, Kelly
Arison carries on a family tradition – her mother, Madeleine
was godmother to the ship when it first entered service in 1999,
and her grandmother Lin Arison
served as godmother to Carnival Sunrise's sister ship, Carnival
Sunshine, in 2013.
"To be a part of Carnival Sunrise's official naming is more than
I could have ever imagined and an experience I'll never forget,"
said Kelly Arison. "The ship is
absolutely beautiful, and I'm so honored to not only carry on my
family's legacy as godmother but to also use this opportunity to
raise awareness for a well-deserving organization, the
Ehlers-Danlos Society."
In a unique twist, the naming of Carnival Sunrise was
commemorated with Arison "uncorking" a custom-made, four-foot-high
confetti-filled champagne bottle sculpture designed by
world-renowned and Miami-based
artist Romero Britto. The
one-of-a-kind bottle features Britto's signature vibrant colors,
bold patterns and elements of cubism, pop art and graffiti, as well
as Carnival-inspired designs. Smaller versions of the bottle will
be sold onboard with proceeds benefiting the Ehlers-Danlos Society
(EDS), an organization dedicated to serving those with joint
hypermobility spectrum disorders, of which Arison is a strong
advocate. Carnival also made a donation to the organization
as part of the naming festivities.
Kathie Lee Gifford, who has had a
longstanding 35-year relationship with Carnival, took a moment to
address the crowd and extend her best wishes to Arison as
godmother, a role that Gifford served for two Carnival ships,
Celebration in 1987 and Ecstasy in 1991.
The event included a video featuring players from the Miami
Heat, of which Micky Arison is a
managing general partner. In the video, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo
Mourning, as well as former Miami Heat player and Carnival's
Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O'Neal,
congratulated Arison.
"The planning for this project began more than two years ago and
involved 7,000 people who worked together to deliver this amazing
transformation. We are so excited to welcome Carnival Sunrise to
the Carnival Cruise Line fleet – she is already winning over our
guests and providing so many new ways to Choose Fun," said
Christine Duffy, president of
Carnival Cruise Line. "It has also been such a special and unique
opportunity to have Madeleine
Arison, who served as godmother at the original delivery of
this vessel 20 years ago, pass the honor of serving as godmother to
her daughter Kelly during our official naming ceremony today."
As part of a fleetwide $2 billion
ship enhancement program, Carnival Sunrise features all of
Carnival's popular branded food, beverage and entertainment
innovations with new offerings such as Guy's Burger Joint and Guy's
Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, in collaboration with Food
Network star and longtime partner Guy
Fieri; The Chef's Table fine dining experience; cocktail
pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar; a new WaterWorks aqua park;
SportSquare recreation area; and a Serenity adults-only retreat,
among many others.
Carnival Sunrise will spend the summer in New York operating four- to 14-day voyages
before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., for a winter schedule of Caribbean and Bahamian cruises beginning in
October. Carnival Sunrise then heads back to New York for another season of cruises
beginning in spring 2020.
To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line or to make a
reservation, visit Carnival.com, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, or contact
any travel agent. Follow us on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
Twitter and YouTube.
About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc
(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise
Line®" with 26 ships operating three- to 24-day voyages to The
Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Cuba, Europe,
Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Southeast
Asia. The line currently has three new ships scheduled for
delivery – Carnival Panorama™ in 2019, Mardi Gras in 2020 and an as-yet-unnamed
ship in 2022.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-sunrise-officially-named-by-godmother-kelly-arison-in-new-york-300856326.html
SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line